Lyon Housemuseum’s New Art Gallery To Open In March 2019

by Dennis Mao

The Lyon Housemuseum in Melbourne has revealed that its new contemporary art building, the Housemuseum Galleries, will open on March 15, 2019. Pictured: three-dimensional render of the Housemuseum Galleries’ bluestone facade detail. All images courtesy Lyon Housemuseum.

On December 10, the Lyon Housemuseum in Melbourne announced that its new art gallery will officially open on March 15, 2019. Named the Housemuseum Galleries, the AUD 14.5 million (USD 10.5 million) extension to the Lyon Housemuseum was built with the financial support of the Lyon family and will be operated by the non-profit Lyon Foundation and an independent board of directors. The Galleries consist of five exhibition spaces and a sculpture courtyard, and will be open to the public six days a week throughout the year.

The inaugural show at the Housemuseum Galleries is titled “ENTER,” and will explore the relationship between art, the exhibition space, and the viewer. The group exhibition will feature newly commissioned works by 16 celebrated Australian contemporary artists, including painter Ry David Bradley, video and performance artist Shaun Gladwell, and multimedia artist Patricia Piccinini. Part of interdisciplinary artist Reko Rennie’s large-scale project VISIBLEINVISIBLE(2017) will also be on display at the museum.

REKORENNIE’s VISIBLEINVISIBLE, 2017, is the foundational artwork marking commencement of the construction of the new Housemuseum Galleries. Photo John Gollings.

Architect and collector Corbett Lyon, who established the Housemuseum with his wife Yueji, commented: “We are very excited by plans for the Galleries, with its potential to foster experimentation, ideas and conversations across disciplines—between artists, architects, designers and the public to contribute to our city’s cultural life. Although a small crucible, our museum’s ambitions are great, and our intentions adventurous.”

The original Housemuseum, which opened in 2009, will continue to showcase works from the Lyon Collection and stage temporary exhibitions that complement the program of the new Galleries.